no knowledge of impact wrenchs, but want to get a birthday present for Boyfriend

[BirthdayPresent]

my boyfriend has a camper, recently we went out in his brother's camper and they had a few blownout tires. someone with an impact wrench (i think thats what it was) came by and helped us by letting us use his to get the tires off and put back on more quickly and easily than spinning that X tool thing my bf had. idk where to ask but i was wondering if anybody could suggest what to get for him.

 

[darsben]

Do you want battery operated or110 volt which requires a generator?

 

[Great Horned Owl]

That's a more complicated question than it seems. Impact wrenches come with a wide range of maximum torque (psi). All other things being equal, more torque is better, but is also more costly. there is no point in spending big bucks to buy more torque than he will ever need. If the use will be to get wheels on and off, do you know what the torque spec is for his lug nuts? If not, do you know what size tires he has?

Next, impact wrenches can be cordless, corded, or pneumatic. The pneumatic ones give the most bang for the buck (pun intended), but won't do him much good if he doesn't have a suitable compressor and air tank. The cordless type are the most convenient, but tend to be the most expensive, and also are limited in available torque. The corded type can be a good choice, so long as there will be a place to plug them in when they are needed.

Joel

 

[BirthdayPresent]

then it sounds like a cordless one is what i want. idk if we would be able to plug it into the camper if its on the side of the road and not at a campground with the electric cord plugged in. sadly i dont know the size of the tires and ill have to find out somehow without him finding out that i found out....or else he will have a suspicion of what i'm getting him for his present

 

[Willandgiselarv]

Just make sure when shopping specs some are
Listed as torque per in and torque per pound ...
Ryobi/ Makita  makes a cordless one and if buying a cordless get the biggest battery pack to get maximum torque.

 

[56safari]

If your boyfriend has other cordless tools  drill, weed whacker, etc., sneak a peak at the brand(s) and voltage.  If you find an impact wrench that uses the same battery, he'll love you even more for it!

 

[Daffy]

I've got one of these, hardly ever use the air tools anymore..

https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF889B-Lithium-Torque-Impact/dp/B007NVSQSC/ref=asc_df_B007NVSQSC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312280085431&hvpos=1o4&hvnetw=g&hvrand=458411993976497967&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021872&hvtargid=pla-421024004611&psc=1

 

[Larry Howard]

Given my experiences with someone buying me tools and equipment, give him a card with a check and maybe a picture of what you have in mind for a gift. That way he gets the item he really wants. If you get him the item and it does not totally meet his needs, every time he uses it, it will be an unfortunate memory.

 

[Lowell]

Given my experiences with someone buying me tools and equipment, give him a card with a check and maybe a picture of what you have in mind for a gift. That way he gets the item he really wants. If you get him the item and it does not totally meet his needs, every time he uses it, it will be an unfortunate memory.

But it's more fun to open a gift.  Just be sure to get a a gift receipt and if he want to exchange it, he should be able to do so at most stores.

 

[Roy M]

Tools can be tough to gift especially when the giver is unfamiliar with them. It sounds like an impact will get very infrequent use if ever needed unless you go offroading where flats and blowouts are a frequent occurence. A good 1/2" drive like Bosch, Makita, or Milwaukee is going to set you back a couple of hundred bucks, (close to 3 here in Canada) but will outperform and outlast the cheap ones.

 

[ronster]

L'm a mechanic,my recomendation is Craftsman 1/2 inch,with the big lithium battery,about 200.The better one is the Milwakee with the 5 ah lithium battery,about 350 carefully shopped.I use one at work,best you can get!

 

[magothy1]

A gift certificate with a picture of the tool would be good, too. If you can find out what brand of battery tools he has and get a photo of one of that brand impact rig you're in good shape. If you can stick with the same brand, same battery, same charger you can afford a better tool. That said, it's got to have some power to do wheel lug nuts.

 

[Isaac-1]

Can you define "camper" are we talking about a shell on the back of a pickup truck, a travel trailer, or a diesel pusher class A motorhome.  If it is a pickup truck or trailer, then a cordless 400-450 feet pound rated impact will work, as long as someone did not drastically over torque the lug nuts.  Unfortunately many tires shops will drastically over torque lug nuts, making them nearly impossible to remove even with a good impact wrench.  I recently experienced this myself when my 650 feet pound rated Snap-on air impact wrench barely removed the lug nuts from a 2008 Nissan Sentra (which by the book should have only been torqued to 83 ft lbs).

 

[rbTN]

first I want to say you're a great girlfriend that pays attention to what I guy might need but not buy for himself...

I would suggest a makita 18v brushless 1/2 inch impact. I use them at work and last yr we were building a timber frame structure with 3/4 inch 4 in long lag bolts and it drove them in with little effort. We had over 200 to drive in over a few days with no problem.

I also have the makita 1/4 inch impact, 1/2 hammer drill, and sawzall and they all use the same batteries that last a good amount of time in daily use.

 

[Jhcowdude]

For what it's worth, I have a whole mess of Craftsman 19.2 cordless stuff with lithium batteries. The impact wrench works pretty well.  It's not going to replace a good lug wrench along the side of the road, but sure speeds up the job! Nice job on buying him something like that! And as said before, check if he has other cordless stuff and match it.

 

[Arch Hoagland]

Get him a AAA card. 

 

[Senator]

I have a Ridgid 1/2" impact wrench.  I have also used a Dewalt 20V wrench.

For tires, make sure it is 1/2", not 1/4".  Expect to pay ~$130 -$150 or so.  The wrench may not come with batteries, or a charger.  You may need that too.  Perhaps if your BF already has a charge for other tools, you can buy the same brand.

It will not come with impact sockets.  Those are also something your BF may have.  Northern Tool can supply a relatively inexpensive set.  Or even Home Depot.

Good Luck.

 

[Roy M]

Don't buy cheap offshore impact sockets, it ain't pretty when they shatter.

 

[lynnmor]

Remember your old boyfriend, the one with big muscles, he uses an X wrench. 

 

[samthetramp]

I use Dewalt battery impacts at work and they're great. There's one thing I haven't seen mentioned yet and that is if the camper has aluminum rims I wouldn't use the impact to fully tighten the lug nuts back down. I'm getting a torque wrench to finish mine of when tightening them up.

Unless he already owns Milwaukee brand battery tool don't buy them They're great tools but expensive as hell.